Civil liberties organization The Rutherford Institute filed a lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of Brandon Raub, a Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who was detained in a psychiatric facility due to posts he made on Facebook. He was taken into custody last August after being questioned by the FBI over the posts, which included things like “a day of reckoning is coming” and “Sharpen my axe; I’m here to sever heads.”

According to the institute, Raub’s posts came to light due to a program called Operation Vigilant Eagle, which involves surveillance of veterans who are critical of the government. They say his right to free speech was violated, and authorities admitted he had committed no crime. His detainment was simply to evaluate him they said.

A judge ordered Raub’s release, saying the government’s case against him was “so devoid of any factual allegations that it could not be reasonably expected to give rise to a case or controversy.” Neither the FBI nor the Department of Homeland Security has any comment on the matter.

Do you think Raub’s right to free speech was violated? Just how far is too far when posting on a public site like Facebook?